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It was on a flight from Vancouver to Toronto and, despite taking preventative measures, I knew it was bound happen. As an overly excitable 24-year-old who travels a lot and earns a living staying in the pop culture know, watching TV on a flight isn’t only a way to pass the time; it’s a necessity.

The young woman sitting next to me certainly wasn’t ready for it. And from the moment I saw her eyes glance over my monitor, I knew she wouldn’t be able to watch the rest of the season the same way.

After locking eyes with my row-mate, I did what any rational human being who just spoiled an integral part of one of the world’s most popular shows would do: I very awkwardly closed my laptop, ripped my headphones off and began showering her with apologies. She told me it wasn’t a big deal and she planned to watch the blood-drenched episode as soon as she got home. But it was a big deal.

We live in an age where every smartphone owner with a half-decent Internet connection can instantly join a continuous, live conversation about their favourite topics. But ever since PVRs, torrents and Netflix all but ended the water-cooler discussion, people are very careful to avoid TV-related spoilers.

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After all, we’re living in the new Golden Age of Television and who has time to keep up with it all? More importantly, why would you when you have all the tools to tailor your viewing habits to your hectic schedule?

In the 1990s and early 2000s, missing an episode of The Sopranos or Lost meant waiting for the season to be released on DVD. In 2016, you can record the latest episode of How to Get Away With Murder to watch later; you can binge-watch House of Cards in a single sitting; you can load an entire season of Mad Men on your laptop, tablet or phone and watch it on your commute. Heck, you don’t need a couch — or TV for that matter — to watch your favourite shows.

But in a society that has conditioned us not to spoil that insane episode of The Walking Dead or Game of Thrones, is there a proper way to watch TV in a crowd?

The simple answer is no, a proper etiquette has yet to be established. Air Canada, Via Rail and Greyhound don’t have posted policies and didn’t respond to requests for comment.

WestJet doesn’t have a formal policy. “We would take a common-sense approach and evaluate each situation as it arises,” a spokeswoman said.

It seems we need to start taking inventory of our surroundings because not only do shows no longer have expiry dates (thanks Netflix), they make their names off clever plot twists and unexpected deaths.

My advice? Look around the next time you’re about to fire up an episode of a hit show because you never know who’s about to ruin the next series on your lengthy bucket list.

A first world problem? Absolutely. But we’ve all been there.

5 spoilerific shows to avoid watching in transit

Game of Thrones

This is an obvious one, given its crazy cliffhangers, shocking deaths and jaw-dropping endings. Trust me when I say that you don’t want to be known as that guy who spoiled the “Red Wedding” for someone.

The Walking Dead

While its cast isn’t as revolving as Game of Thrones’, The Walking Dead features its fair share of shocking deaths but makes a point of stressing their emotional impact on Rick Grimes and Co. With an average of more than 10 million viewers an episode, the person next to you is probably a fan.

Sons of Anarchy

If only the Emmy Awards writers had read this column before they went to air in 2015, they may have spared thousands from seeing prematurely how Jax Teller’s story ended. Creator Kurt Sutter is a master storyteller and his biker gang drama features not only a number of highly spoilable moments, but its sex and violence may push a seatmate’s boundaries.

House of Cards

The critically acclaimed political thriller was Netflix’s first hit series and helped usher in the trend now known as binge watching. The tricky part with this one, and any Netflix series, is its release model. The person to your right may be on Episode 4 while the person to your left is on Episode 11.

How to Get Away With Murder

Network shows that use flash forwards as a key component of their storytelling need to be in control of what the viewer takes in. Seeing a scene earlier than expected can cripple the viewing experience and diminish its impact.

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